Ice Cream Man (comics)
| Ice Cream Man | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cover to Ice Cream Man #1 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly (Jan 2018 – April 2018) Irregular (July 2018 – present) |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Horror Dark comedy Anthology |
| Publication date | January 2018 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | W. Maxwell Prince |
| Artist | Martin Morazzo |
Ice Cream Man is a semi-anthological dark comedy horror comic book series that premiered in 2018 from Image Comics. The series is written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. The plot follows an ice cream man named Rick and his nemesis Caleb, as Rick attempts to spread misery and death wherever he goes; with Caleb doing what he can to prevent it. The series was optioned for an adaptation in 2018.
Premise
[edit]The series is a anthological horror comic series of very loosely connected stories that share a common link- a seemingly normal ice cream man named Rick (who is later revealed to be actually called Riccardus), who possesses inexplicable dark powers which he uses upon unsuspecting people. Rick's role in each issue ranges from protagonist to brief cameo but appears most often as a supporting character. Rick's nemesis, Caleb; a man dressed in an all brown cowboy outfit, sporadically appears in the series trying to thwart Rick's plans.
The stories range from bleak and graphic horror to light comedy, with surrealness mixed into most stories: issues often incorporate gimmicks into their format (e.g. three stories being told simultaneously with each page containing one panel of each, an issue taking place in multiple television shows, and an issue meant to be reread backwards).
Reception
[edit]Since its debut the series has received positive reviews. On the review aggregator, Comic Book Roundup, the series averaged a rating of 8.5 out of 10 based on a sample of 150 critics.[1]
Adaptation
[edit]In October 2018, it was announced an adaptation of the series was in development at Universal Cable Productions.[2] In February 2020, it was announced the series had been picked up by mobile streaming platform Quibi.[3] With Quibi's shutdown in December 2020, the fate of the series was mostly undetermined.[4] However, in January 2021 W. Maxwell Prince mentioned that the series is still in production.[5] In September 2024, it was announced Screen Gems had acquired the rights to the series with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar writing the adaptation.[6]
Collected editions
[edit]Trade paperbacks
[edit]| Title | Collected material | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1: Rainbow Sprinkles | Ice Cream Man #1–4 | 20 June 2018 | 9781534310865 |
| Volume 2: Strange Neapolitan | Ice Cream Man #5–8 | 12 December 2018 | 9781534308763 |
| Volume 3: Hopscotch Mélange | Ice Cream Man #9–12 | 12 June 2019 | 9781534312265 |
| Volume 4: Tiny Lives | Ice Cream Man #13–16 | 24 December 2019 | 9781534313767 |
| Volume 5: Other Confections | Ice Cream Man #17–20 | 8 September 2020 | 9781534315976 |
| Volume 6: Just Desserts | Ice Cream Man #21–24 | 29 June 2021 | 9781534317277 |
| Volume 7: Certain Descents | Ice Cream Man #25–28 | 23 February 2022 | 9781534319301 |
| Volume 8: Subjects & Objects | Ice Cream Man #29–32 | 26 October 2022 | 9781534323223 |
| Volume 9: Heavy Narration | Ice Cream Man #33–36 | 20 September 2023 | 9781534399839 |
| Volume 10: Imperious Wrecks | Ice Cream Man #37–40 | 20 November 2024 | 9781534397286 |
| Volume 11: Horror, Horror | Ice Cream Man #41-44 | 30 September 2025 | 9781534331167 |
Hardcovers
[edit]| Title | Collected material | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition, Vol. 1 | Ice Cream Man #1–12 | 3 August 2022 | 9781534321823 |
| Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition, Vol. 2 | Ice Cream Man #13–24, HAHA #6, and Ice Cream Man Quarantine Comix Special | 14 November 2023 | 9781534398191 |
Uncollected specials
[edit]Two specials have been released which have not been collected into trades or hardcovers.
Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix Special was released on September 9, 2020. It includes multiple mini-comics from various creators which were originally released online early on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ice Cream Man: The Mortal Coil Shuffle was released on November 5, 2025. It consists of a deck of 55 "playing" cards which are intended to be read in order to form a sequential story. Its original release was specifically described as being a one-time thing which would not be printed again.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ice Cream Man Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com.
- ↑ "'Ice Cream Man' TV Series Based on Comic in Works at Universal Cable Prods". October 2018.
- ↑ "'Ice Cream Man': UCP Developing Adaptation of Comic Series for Quibi". 27 February 2020.
- ↑ "Quibi Officially Fades to Black, as Projected when Founders Announced Shutdown in October – Update". December 2020.
- ↑ "Ice Cream Man Series Adapt "Very Much Still Alive"- Unlike Quibi". January 2021.
- ↑ "'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Scribes Producing Horror Anthology 'Ice Cream Man' For Screen Gems". September 6, 2024.